DataKind provides data analysis and artificial intelligence tools to left-leaning causes and advocates for the use of these technologies.
DataKind issues reports 1 , participates in prominent conferences and events, 2 and partners with other left-leaning nonprofit and private sector organizations. 1 It claims to promote the knowledge and use of data science among underserved populations and those who have less technical expertise. 3
Leadership
DataKind was founded in 2011 by Jake Porway, 4 who served as its executive director until his resignation in December 2020. 5 In 2015, Porway described “an opportunity to use these same algorithms that we’re writing to boost profit, to instead boost social impact.” 6
Lauren Woodman was named chief executive officer in 2021 7 after an interim tenure as executive director by DataKind’s former chief operating officer, Russata Buford. 8
The organization lists around 20 current staff. Its board includes members from MasterCard, Microsoft, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, and the Overdeck Family Foundation. 9
Activities
Issues on which DataKind has engaged include refugee policy, 10 alleged racial discrimination in “stop and frisk” policing in New York City, 11 the California water crisis, 12 graduation rates in Dallas-area schools, 13 and “racial wealth equity.” 14
DataKind staff often make presentations at national and international events, including the World Economic Forum. 15
DataKind’s then-executive director Jake Porway signed a letter opposing President Donald Trump’s January 2017 executive order that restricted travel from certain countries to the United States, characterizing it as a “Muslim ban.” 16
DataKind staff have served in Democratic presidential administrations, with chief program officer Afua Bruce serving on the Biden Department of Justice transition team in 2020, 17 and the organization’s advisor DJ Patil served as the Obama administration’s first-ever Chief Data Scientist in 2015. 18
Funding
DataKind experienced a steep drop-off in revenue between 2018 and 2019, with more than $18 million in revenue in 2018 and less than $9 million in 2019. 19 Tax forms for the Rockefeller Foundation reported $700,000 in donations or pledges to DataKind in 2020. 20 Google.org donated $1.1 million to DataKind in 2021, which it devoted to new programming. 21
References
- “Powering Public Data for Communities: Highlights from Virtual DataDive Report Back.” DataKind. April 12, 2021. https://www.datakind.org/blog/powering-public-data-for-communities-highlights-from-virtual-datadiver-report-back.
- “DataKind + Partners Address World Leaders at Davos as AI Takes Center Stage.” DataKind. February 2, 2023. https://www.datakind.org/blog/datakind-partners-address-world-leaders-at-davos-as-ai-takes-center-stage.
- “Jake Porway: Want to Save the World? There’s an App for That.” National Geographic. June 13, 2012. https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/jake-porway-want-save-world-theres-app.
- Corliss, David. “A Conversation with DataKind’s Executive Director, Jake Porway.” AMSTATNEWS. December 1, 2020. https://magazine.amstat.org/blog/2020/12/01/datakinds-jake-porway/.
- Porway, Jake. Twitter Post. December 10, 2020, 3:25 p.m. https://twitter.com/jakeporway/status/1337131458662699011.
- “Data Science for Social Good with Datakind’s Jake Porway.” YouTube. 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vE-f_3mLw6Q.
- [1] “Welcome Lauren Woodman, DataKind’s CEO.” DataKind. October 12, 2021. https://www.datakind.org/blog/welcome-lauren-woodman-datakinds-ceo.
- Celebrating Russatta Buford as DataKind’s Interim Director.” DataKind. February 10, 2021. https://www.datakind.org/blog/celebrating-russatta-buford-as-datakinds-interim-executive-director.
- “Our Team.” DataKind. DataKind. Accessed February 12, 2023. https://www.datakind.org/our-team.
- “Using Satellite Imagery to Generate Awareness and Funds for Refugees .” DataKind. DataKind, June 20, 2018. https://www.datakind.org/blog/using-satellite-imagery-to-generate-awareness-and-funds-for-refugees.
- “Jake Porway’s Data Without Borders.” PopTech. YouTube. 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjxn0IzImN4.
- “Forecasting Water Demand in California When Every Drop Counts.” DataKind. Accessed January 16, 2023. https://www.datakind.org/projects/forecasting-water-demand-in-california-when-every-drop-counts.
- “Bringing Data Science and Education Expertise Together to Advance Student Success in Dallas County.” DataKind. June 13, 2018. https://www.datakind.org/blog/bringing-data-science-and-education-expertise-together-to-advance-student-success-in-dallas-county.
- Advancing Racial Wealth Equity in the U.S.: DataKind Expands Partnership with Black Wealth Data Center.” DataKind. December 13, 2022. https://www.datakind.org/blog/advancing-racial-wealth-equity-in-the-us-datakind-expands-partnership-with-black-wealth-data-center.
- “Here’s How Data Science Can Help Solve Global Crises .” World Economic Forum. May 20, 2022. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/05/impact-data-science-can-help-solve-global-crises-but-only-if-we-deploy-it-on-the-front-lines/.
- “Social Entrepreneurs Urge Trump To Abandon Muslim Ban.” Ecosystem Marketplace. February 9, 2017. https://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/articles/social-entrepreneurs-urge-trump-to-abandon-muslim-ban/.
- Byrd, Aaron. “Biden Review Teams Include Many Former Tech Officials and Digital Service Members.” Nextgov. November 11, 2020. https://www.nextgov.com/it-modernization/2020/11/biden-review-teams-include-many-former-tech-officials-and-digital-service-members/169977/.
- The White House: President Barack Obama § (2015). https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2015/02/18/white-house-names-dr-dj-patil-first-us-chief-data-scientist.
- DataKind, Inc. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). 2019. Accessed January 16, 2023. https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/cor/464082076_202009_990_2021041417943862.pdf.
- The Rockefeller Foundation. Application for Automatic Extension of Time to File an Exempt Organization Return (Form 8868). 2020. Accessed February 12, 2023. https://www.influencewatch.org/app/uploads/2022/01/rockefeller-foundation-2020-form-990.pdf.
- “DataKind Launches New Cohort of Projects to Advance Economic Empowerment with $1.1M in Support from Google.org.” DataKind. December 7, 2021. https://www.datakind.org/blog/datakind-launches-new-cohort-of-projects-to-advance-economic-empowerment-with-11m-in-support-from-go.